If it’s bacon, it must be breakfast

Heidi Flick

Wednesday

Oct 10, 2012 at 12:01 AMOct 10, 2012 at 10:49 AM

Itís time to say goodbye to the breakfast rut. Everyone can get behind some eggs or pancakes, oatmeal and toast on the weekends.

Itís time to say goodbye to the breakfast rut. Everyone can get behind some eggs or pancakes, oatmeal and toast on the weekends. But, seriously, wouldnít you rather have something you can just toss in a napkin as you head out the door to face another long Tuesday? Or, if youíre really feeling ambitious, a dish you can quickly reheat in the microwave?

Yep. We thought so. With a little effort one night or on the weekend, you can make a hearty breakfast item that will last for several days. And instead of guessing whatís in that toaster pastry, or searching in vain for a gluten-free alternative, you can control what goes in your meal.

One of our long-time favorites, oatmeal breakfast cookies, first came into my life way back in college. A friend on my hall shared her motherís cookies, then on my request, the recipe Ė written with perfect penmanship. I could just look the recipe up on the Internet when I want to make these filling and addictive cookies, but itís so much more fun to dig out the handwritten recipe Sueís mom sent from Ohio decades ago.

These cookies pack a wallop of deliciousness Ė and thatís not just nostalgia talking. They contain many of the same ingredients as Toll House cookies, but instead of chocolate chips, you add wheat germ, oatmeal, cheddar cheese and cooked, crumbled bacon. They come out more like scones than cookies. And they will disappear fast, because whether you pair them with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee, the hearty ingredients and sugary/salty mix of ingredients can satisfy all kinds of morning cravings.

If you want a gluten free cookie, or just a nice change of pace, omit the wheat germ and toss in some chopped pecans. Use your favorite gluten-free flour and substitute quinoa, millet or buckwheat oats for the oatmeal (which may or may not be gluten-free Ė it seems to depend on where you get your information).

You can use bacon another way to turn dessert into breakfast. Try introducing its salty goodness to the crumble that tops this fruit cobbler. Serve the cobbler with slice of sharp cheddar alongside and lunchtime will sneak up on you way before your stomach starts rumbling.

The added bonus of these recipes is that they use less bacon than serving it on its own. If the dire predictions of high prices and shortages come true, youíll appreciate stretching your bacon dollar.

BREAKFAST COOKIES

2/3 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar (you can use turbinado or Demerara, but not brown sugar)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

ĺ cup all-purpose flour

Ĺ tsp. soda

Ĺ tsp. salt

1 Ĺ cups quick or old-fashioned oatmeal (donít use instant)

1 ľ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Ĺ cup wheat germ or chopped pecans

6 slices of crisply cooked bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a mixer bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Sift the flour, soda and salt together once and stir gradually into butter mixture. By hand, stir in oats, cheese, wheat germ and bacon. Drop the cookies on the prepared pans using approximately a tablespoon of dough. Leave room for the batter to spread. Bake 12-14 minutes, until edges turn golden brown. Let the cookies cool about a minute before removing them from the sheet with a spatula. Store at room temperature. Makes about three dozen.

Fruit Crisp with Bacon Crumble

You can use fresh plums, peaches, apricots or nectarines

3 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. all-purpose flour

5 cups of sliced, pitted fruit (no need to peel them)

Topping :

1/3 cup quick-cooking or regular oatmeal

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 Tbs. flour

1/4 tsp. ginger or cinnamon

3 Tbsp. canola oil

5 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place six custard cups on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and flour. Stir in fruit so itís coated well. Divide the fruit among the custard cups. In another bowl, stir the oats, brown sugar, flour and spice together. Add oil and stir until you have a crumbly topping. Stir in bacon. Sprinkle topping over each cup of fruit. Bake 30-35 minutes, until topping is golden brown.

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